A petition with more than 1,200 signatures was delivered to Vancouver City Hall Tuesday, demanding a temporary moratorium on new market development in the city's Chinatown neighbourhood.

"We're seeing that Chinatown's character is changing very rapidly. With new retail, we're also very concerned about low-income housing," said King-Mong Chan, who works with the Carnegie Community Action Project.

"As these changes happen, Chinatown is at a threat of being no longer Chinatown, but a new Yaletown, a new Gastown."